Christopher Walken on Seven Psychopaths, His Days as a Lion Tamer, and the One Role He's Still Searching For

Christopher Walken holding one of his favorite Seven Psychopaths co-stars, at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival., by George Pimentel/Getty Images.

In the very cleverSeven Psychopaths, a refreshingly original dark comedy written and directed by In Bruges filmmaker Martin McDonagh, Christopher Walken stars as Hans, a Los Angeles eccentric whose chief moneymaking scheme involves stealing dogs, boarding them, and then returning them once their owners have offered a reward. He is the most senior (although not the most psychopathic) of the main characters—the other two being a wiseass, played by Sam Rockwell, and an alcoholic screenwriter, played by Colin Farrell. All three are unlikely friends, and while on the hunt for inspiration for Farrell’s character’s latest script, also titled Seven Psychopaths (expect self-reflexive humor), the trio find themselves in some surprisingly wild scenarios, including a peyote party, a lengthy dream sequence explaining why Walken’s character came to wear an ascot, and a graveyard shoot-out.

To promote their sharp indie, the cast—including the Shih Tzu who plays Bonnie, the trio’s favorite kidnapped canine—visited the Toronto International Film Festival this weekend. On Sunday, Christopher Walken sat down with VF.com to discuss his latest role, how he developed his trademark, oft parodied delivery, and the one type of character he hasn’t played in his six decades as an actor.

Julie Miller: Hans is such a brilliant character, and you are so good in the role. Did Martin McDonagh create him with you in mind?

Christopher Walken: I don’t think so. I heard about [the role] about a year ago. And Martin said the other night that he had written [the script] before he did In Bruges, which I didn’t know. But I’ve done a play [A Behanding in Spokane] with him and Sam [Rockwell] before, so we knew each other.

He has so many eccentricities—the way he dresses, the way he interacts with the dogs, his mannerisms, the way he pronounces “hallucinogenic.” Which aspects of this character were informed by you?

Well, the character was written, and when they cast you, it’s because, in their mind’s eye, you’re what they were looking for. Usually they don’t talk to you about that, though. And when you shoot a scene, you never know if it’s going to work. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. With me, it’s always a little lucky. How it turns out. How they cut it together.

Bonnie’s handler, who is in the press suite, told me that you developed a really special relationship with the dog on set even though you are actually a cat person.

Yeah, well, that is the sweetest dog. What a good-natured dog. But you know, I had a lot to do with her [in the movie] and the dog was just kind of an angel.

Speaking of animals, is it true that you once worked as a lion tamer?

Yeah, when I was a kid, I worked in the circus. It was a touring circus that was owned by a man named Terrell Jacobs. It was just one big tent, and he was a lion tamer. He didn’t have any kids, but the bit was that I would dress up as his son in an identical outfit. When he would finish his act, there would be one lion left, and I used to go in and have this lion do tricks. It was a female named Sheba, and she was very sweet. Like a dog, really. I would wave the whip, and she would run and sit up and roll over and do things.

Playing this lion tamer’s son each night, was that when you realized that you wanted to act, or perform, for a living?

Well, I was sort of a jack-of-all-trades in show business for a long time. I was a singer and a dancer and then I got a job as an actor.

You have such a wonderfully singular delivery. At what point in your life did you realize that your speaking pattern, which is so beloved, was so distinctive?

Well, I come from a part of New York that was almost entirely immigrants. I was born in America but all of my friends’ parents, everybody’s parents, including my own, had come to America from Europe. Many people in my neighborhood hardly bothered to learn English. They just came to America and lived in a community where they just spoke their old language, whether it was Italian or German or Polish. They just lived their lives like they were almost still in Europe. I grew up listening to people speaking broken English. I probably picked that up. And I probably speak English almost as a second language.

Have directors ever tried to get you to change that speaking pattern for a part?

You can’t change that. Usually directors hire me because I’m what they are looking for. But once in a while, and it’s very rare, they will hire me and then try to make me over. Like you said, Do they ever try to change the way you speak? Once in a while that happens and it’s always an unhappy filming experience. They will say, “Do it this way.” And that’s impossible for me.

What kind of director have you found that you work best with?

The best ones are obviously the most talented, but they are also the ones that say, “Chris,” and then they leave you alone.

You have over a hundred acting credits in film and on television and over five projects in various stages of production right now. What motivates you to keep up that grueling work pace?

I like to go to work, and also, I don’t have any kids. I don’t have any hobbies. I don’t like to travel. So going to work is kind of it.

What kind of character haven’t you played that you’d still like to try?

I haven’t played a regular guy. You know, a dad with kids. But I’m not sure I’ll ever get that part.

What are you still discovering about yourself as an actor?

A big thing in my life and career is to just do it and hope for the best. You hope that you’re lucky. Any movie that I’ve ever made, sometimes I think that I’m awful. Most of the time I think that I’m OK. And sometimes I think, Eh, that was very good. But even in the movies where I think I was very good, there will be scenes where I think, You really missed that one; you’re lousy there. But then the scene after it is good. Hopefully, in the movie, and your career, when it all adds up, you were good more times than you weren’t.